The Las Cruces Police Department is warning about fraudsters calling people and pretending to be a Las Cruces Police Department officer.
In at least two instances, a caller has identified himself as “Detective Michael Henke” from the Las Cruces Police Department and has mentioned he’s calling from the “civil division," a news release from LCPD stated on Friday.
Although LCPD has a supervisor by that name, the police department said that he is not making those calls and LCPD does not have a “civil division.”
LCPD stated that the individuals who have reported receiving such calls told police the caller suggested there is a “federal citation” in their name, and it can somehow be resolved over the telephone.
Police learned the calls show up on Caller ID as coming from a “575” phone number or from a small New Mexico town.
At least one call appears to have come from Cimarron, N.M. LCPD said it's very well likely the fictitious phone calls are from a telephone number or location that does not correspond to what appears on the Caller ID.
If you receive an unsolicited call from an unknown individual, or a robocall, it’s likely a scam attempt, LCPD stated.
Las Cruces police recommend following these safety tips:
- Do not provide personal or financial information to anyone who calls, texts or otherwise contacts you unsolicited.
- Do not engage in conversation with unsolicited callers.
- Do not press numbers if prompted to select from a menu.
- Block unwanted or repeat spam telephone numbers on your cell phone.
- Consider registering your phone number(s) on the Federal Trade Commission’s free Do Not Call Registry. Go to DoNotCall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222 (TTY: 1-866-290-4236) from the phone you want to register.
Anyone who has been victimized by a suspected scam call is encouraged to call the police at 575-526-0795.
Sign up to receive the topmost interesting stories from in and around our community once a day to your inbox.